Apparatus for cutting pipe in alpha well



"5? 393g E.. .1. NICKLOS ET A1.

APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PIPE IN A WELL Filed Jan. 2, 1950 A riva/:IEX

Patented Mar. 8, 1932 Unirse simu se miv' ossi-c E;

ERNEST :n ii-icxfnosf oP PONGA; CITY, OKLAHOMA,- Aivn CHESTER At nnsiwwssun, on LONG BEACH,Y CALIFORNIA APPARATUS Pon CUTTING PIPE in' A wenn' Appiicat'nmY ned January'- 2; 1930; semi sie; 417,860:

O'urinvention relat'es'to a 'sawing device,V and relates particularly toY a sawing device adaptedto be'operlat'ed from aremote point.

Oiir invention has itspafrticular utility Where? itf-isdesiredto saw oit ori sever members such as pipes or beams under conditions Where the Worlimenca-nnot remain in close proximitytothe-member Whichis t'o befsawed. Il-

lustrative'off the utility of the invention, one

VJ'ff'"gasoline vaporsV in the der-rick prevented Workmen from remaining for any length oi"= timel on the derrick floor. By the use of ourinventi'on, Wey Were enabled to saw through the outlet pipesy by employment of manual isi-power at"y a remotel point, thus releasing the Christmas tree, sothatL it could be easily re# movedfrom the Well. The removal: ofthe Christnastree left the-space above the casingv clearso! theta capping devicecouldbe suc# Y 3U: ce'ssfull-yv applied.

It isfanobject of our invention tof provide a sawing'. device which may be applied to a member to be severed and Which'may be actuatedfromfa remote pointv The inventionfis of especial utilityv Where the member to be savved cannot be approached or Where persons standing. near' might be injured when the member is saWed. v

further object'ofthe invention, is to prom videy a sawing device which may be appliedfrom a remote point to amemb'er to'be'savved, and which is adapted to be manipulatedby a Workman' standing at' a safe distance from Y the memberto be penetrated. A further object ofthe inventionisto pro-v vide`a-= sawingdevice having a novelfmeans for securing 'and locking'the saw blade thereonin 'operative position:

further 'object' ofith'e invention vis topro- 5 vide'fa4 sav7L o'tfthe vabove character having .an

operating means 'consisting partly of af noni' flexible 'member' andpartly oi a-lleX'ible mem` ber, together with afy mechanical device for# movingthe handle inl reverseA directioiilf x Further-l objects oli the invention Will bel made' evident throughout the followingpart olf"l the speci-cation;

Referringlte the dravvingfsgwvhich' are foi illustrative purposes only;l

Fig-ure 1 isV a diagrammatic elevational GO view showingal use ofthe invention Fig. 2 is a partly sectioned'enlangedelevation oil the savv headj oi'the-sawving de'zv-ice'.A

FigLUS-is ar cross section on the plane represented'by th'e-lineoiL ig; 2.

Fig.`r isacro'ss section on the'pla-nefrepresented by the-line' oiV Fig. 2;

Fig; 5- isal View corresponding to'FigQ, partly sectionedas ind-icate'dby the' line 5-#5-v ofliglf.

Figfis anouijler end View of the saw blade employed in this embodiment'ofthe! invention. Y

nligurelwe show oilvvell derriek l1 having a flooii 12in thecent'er of Which the outletpipe or'- Ch'ristmas tree 13 islocated:v Fori the purposeofillustrating a utility ofthe'- inv'e'n-tio'n',`y itin may be lass'umed that! theChristmas treehas become" disconnected 'rom'the Well-casing indicated atf 15, this'diseon'nect-ion permittinggases" to escape into the spacev above the d'eirlick Hoor' 12. In' or-'derf toapply af-ca'p or' cappingy device tothe casing l5, it is necessary to remove the C hristmasftiee 13, buto-Wing to'thepresenc'e ofasphyiiating orpoisonousgases within? the der-riclr,it is? imp'ossible ferA Workmen to disconnect?the'4 la'nges bet'iv'eenfthe Christmas treeand the outlet pipe orepipesindicatedat 16.' ItJ WillV bei recognizedtliat should the issuingoil Oi gases bebifirhing, it would be practically impossible for Workmen Ito 'approach the'Christ mas tree! By useoij" our sawing device 20, hm'vevmg' pipes or other members connected` to resem-mms ne@ i3; forA holding Same in 95 place,1 mfayl'be readily'severed sothat the Christmas tree' 'may be rem'o'vedriChe sawingl device'l comprises a. savvA head 21 which includes aU-shaped-frameQQfhaw ing alongitudnal barpo1tion-'23',zan upright inner end bar 24 and an upright outer end bar 25, there being a handle connecting portion 26 extending rearwardly from the inner bar portion 24. In a slide 27 mountedon the upper face of the handle connecting bar 26 a block 28 is slidably mounted, this block 28 havinga verticalslot 'in the forward end thereof to receive the rearward end 30v of a heavy saw blade 3l, and havin a laterally directed `hole through which a pin 32 may be extended to hold the .rearward end 30 of the saw blade 3l in the vertical slot ofthe sliding block 28. The outer end33 4of the blade 3l has a cross beam 34 mounted therein, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6, this cross beam 34 (being adaptedv to enter a laterally directed bayonet slot 35fwhenthe outer end'33 of the blade 3l hasjdropped into the vertical. slot 36in the upper endv of thefront vertical bar member 25.` The rearward end of the handle connecting portion 26Vvis threaded as indicated' at 37, so that one or more lengths of the pipe 38 Y may be connected thereto by use of a coutime`,'or at least for the time existing betweenr auf pling 39, the pipe or pipes 38 forming a han- .dle for operating .the sawing device and forming` part ofthe entire manipulating means of the sawing device.

n Where permissible, such as lwhere gases ar iowingfrom a casing, asat l5, and a workman could stay within the immediate vicinity of the Christmas tree for a short length of consecutive respirations, a workman, holding his breath or wearinga gas mask, may

carry the saw head 2l in open condition, as shown in Fig. 2, into the derrick and place same over the pipe 16 which is to be severed. It will be perceived that the saw blade may be readily lowered from its position of full 'Llines into a closed position with the cross beam 34 lying in the bottom of thebayonet slot 35. .n The locking lever 40 of the devicemay then` be swung from its full line -position tothe dotted line position 41, this` causvging the cam end 43 of the'lever 4 0 to move a connecting bar 44y rearwardly, in this instance,-rightwardly, `against the action of a spring 45 within the slide member or slide casing27. Y

The connecting rod 44 is threaded through the rearward end of the slide block 28, vthus causing the slide block to` move rightwardly when the lever 40 is moved into the dotted line position 4l. This rightward movement of the block 28 causes vthe blade 3l to be likewise movedinrightward direction so `as to pullV the cross beam 34 at the outer end thereof intothe notch 46 at the lower end of the bayonet slot 35, thus locking the saw blade y131 securely in operative position. The block 28 may be nof polygonal cross section if desired, but vthe same results may be accomplish-ed by employing a member of round cross section, as shown in Fig. 4, and using "in connection therewitha pinl 48 adapted ing device in leftwa-rd or reverse direction,

this mechanical actuating means consisting of a weight 53 attachedto one of the pipes 38 by means of a rope 54V which is extended over a pulley 55 supported by a framework 56.

The actuating means for the'sawing device in-` cludes a yrope, extension 57 which may be pulled by one or more men, as indicated at 58. lt will be recognized that the. number of lengths ofjpipe which may be employed in the actuating means is limited, as therev are certain limitations to the weight which one or-more men may readily reciprocate, and

there are-also limitations placed thereon by the flexibility of the pipes 38. By use of the` weight 53 to moverthe sawing device vin leftwardorreverse direction, we are enabled ,to

manipulate the sawing device by -a rope of.

any desiredlength, for in the operation of the device, the only operation to be performed,

by the'worlrmen .is to pull the sawing device in forward or rightward direction so as to produce a cutting action of theteeth 60 of the Y saw blade 31.

ln the usey of the invention, -where workmen cannot approach themember to be sawed, the saw blade 3l is raisedto open position and is frictionally held-while ythe saw yhead 2ll is advanced toward the device to be sa'wed by workmen standingV at a required distance therefrom. When" the head 2l'is properly placed relative to memberlG tobe sawed, a pull may be exerted on the lever 4Q by means of a wire or cable attached to the perforated"Y end 65, this causing the leftwardend 66 of the member 27 to engage and force the saw `blade. downwardly Vout ofthe. position iin which it is frictionallyfheld and so that the saw blade may then drop into closed position. f

After the cross beam 34 has Vvdropped into the bayonet slot 35, the lever 40 may be pulled' all fthe wayover into theloclring position in-l di'catedby dotted lines 41, thus causing the lockingof the saw blade firmlyjin operative position, as previously described relative to themanipulation of the locking'mechanism vby use of the lever 40. V' y,

Although we have illustrated a practical and operative form of your invention, is`

understood that parts thereof are representative of other parts, elements or mechanisms which may be employed to accomplish the identical results in substantially the same manner; therefore it is intended that the, `claimsshall not be limited by the simplicity of this disclosure but shall have the full scope of the following claims.

7e claim as our invention:

l. A sawing device of the character described7 including: a head frame adapted to receive a saw blade; an extended handle projectine' trom said head traine, whereby said head i'rame may be reciprocated from a remote position; means for holding said saw blade in open position relative to said head trame to enable installation on a member to be cut; means associated with said head frame for closing and locking said saw blade relative to said head fr me and means :tor operating said last mentioned means from a remote position,

2. A sawing device ot the character described, including: a sawing head including a U-shaped trame and a blade adapted to close the open end of said frame, aid blade having the teeth thereof facing' inwardly relative to said trame, said sawing head being adapted for placement from a remote position around a member to be out; an'entended handle projecting from the rearward end oi said sawing heed; means associated With said sawing head tor closing and locking said blade thereon; and means operated from a remote position for actuatingsaid last mentioned means.

3, A sawing device of the character described, includ' g: a U-shaped Jframe having a bayonet slot in the outer end thereof; a slide member longitudinally disposed on the inner end of said trame; a slide block operative Within said slide member; a saw blade hinged to said vslide block7 said saw blade having an engager at its outer end adapted for engagement with said bayonet slot; and means tor moving said slide block in a direction to produce locking oi' said engager in said bayonet slot.

e. A sawing device of the character described7 including: a lil-shaped frame having a bayonet slot in the outer end thereof; a slide member longitudinally disposed on the inner end of said trame; a slide block operative Within said slide member; a saw blade hinged to said slide block, said saw blade having an engager at its outer end adapted for engagement with said bayonet slot; and means for moving said slide block in a direction to produce loclring of said engager in said bayonet slot, said means including a cam connected to said slide block and a lever for operating said cam so as to produce the desired movement of said slide block.

5. A sawing device of the character described, including: a U-shaped :trame having a bayonet slot in the outer end thereof; a slide member longitudinally disposed on the inner end of said trame; a slide block operative Within said slide member; a saw blade hinged to said slide block, said saw blade having an engager at its outer end adapted for engagement With said bayonet slot, said engager consisting of a cross beam having its ends extending laterally rom said saw blade; and means :tor moving said slide block in a direction to produce locking oi said engager in said bayonet slot, said means including a cam connected to said slide block and a lever for operating said cam so as to produce the desired movement otsaid slide block.

6. A sawing device of the character described, including: a U-sha-ped frame having a bayonet slot in the outer end thereof; a slide member longitudinally disposed on the inner end ot said frame; a slide block operative Within said slide member; a san7 blade hinged to said slide block, said saw blade having an engager at its outer end adapted for engagement with said bayonet slot; and means for moving said slide block in a direction to produce locking ot said engager in said bayonet slot7 said means including a cam connected to said slide block and a lever tor operating said cam so as to produce the desired movement ot said slide block, said lever being adapted 'lor manipulation from a remote position.

ln testimony whereof, the said ERNEST J'. Nioiinos has hereunto set his hand at Ponca City7 Oklahoma, the 19th day of December, i929, and the said CHESTER A. RAsMUssnN has hereunto set his hand at Los Angeles, California, the 14th day of December, 1929.

ERNEST J. NlCKLOS. CHESTEP A. RASMUSSEN.

lOl? 

